Boron nitride phosphide thin films grown on quartz substrate by hot-filament and plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition

Boron nitride phosphide films are, for the first time, grown on transparent quartz substrate by hot filament and radio‐frequency plasma co‐assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. XPS, XRD, SEM, and UV measurements are performed to study the chemical composition, crystallization, microstructure, and optical absorption, respectively. A “centipede‐like” microstructure and undulating ground morphology on the film surface are observed, and their growth mechanism is speculated upon. The chemical composition is determined as BN1–xPx, whose characteristic XRD peak is preliminarily identified. The optical band gap can be modulated between 5.52 eV and 3.74 eV, simply by adjusting the phosphorus content in BN1–xPx through modifying the PH3 flux during the film‐deposition process. The merits of the BN1–xPx film, such as high ultraviolet photoelectric sensitivity with negligible sensitivity in the visible region, modifiable wide optical band gap, and good adhesion on transparent substrate, suggest potential applications for ultraviolet photo‐electronics. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)